October 1, 2017 – Panera Bread is launching its Pink Ribbon Bagel campaign in participating Central and Western North Carolina bakery-cafes beginning on October 1. All month long, a portion of the proceeds from Pink Ribbon Bagel sales at bakery-cafes in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, Burlington, Clemmons, Boone, Hickory, Mooresville, and Salisbury will be donated to Earlier.org – Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test. A special 100% Day will be hosted on Friday, October 6, during which 100% of the proceeds from each bagel sold will benefit the cause.

Covelli Enterprises, Ohio-based franchisee of Panera Bread, took ownership of the North Carolina franchise cafes in May of this year and is proud to launch this campaign in these participating cafés. Covelli has been executing this annual campaign in its markets for nearly a decade, and has donated more than $3,000,000 to the fight against breast cancer since 2010.

“We are thrilled to launch this amazing campaign in North Carolina. We make it a priority every year for a reason,” said Sam Covelli, Owner/Operator of Covelli Enterprises, the Ohio-based franchisee of Panera Bread. “The funds raised by the Pink Ribbon Bagel are helping to save the lives of local women with breast cancer. There’s no better feeling than knowing you can help make a difference.”

“The commitment, involvement, understanding and total embrace of our mission by Panera Bread is remarkable,” says Earlier.org Founder Martha Kaley. “­­­­The coming together of donations from the Pink Ribbon Bagel campaign and beyond, piece by piece, builds to absolutely fund critical research grants for identifying a biological test to detect breast cancer earlier. It is our goal to protect these precious funds and direct them to the appropriate research to help all of us.”

Panera Bread is encouraging customers to take a photo with their Pink Ribbon Bagels to share their support for the cause on social media using #morethandough. The cafes are accepting pre-orders for bagels at www.covelli.com/gopink.

Shaped in the form of the iconic pink ribbon, the Pink Ribbon Bagel features cherry chips, dried cherries and cranberries, vanilla, honey, and brown sugar, and is baked fresh each morning by Panera’s bakers at each participating bakery-café.

Earlier.org– Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test® is the nation’s only nonprofit organization focused solely on finding an earlier detection test for breast cancer. Our mission is to identify a new and innovative biological test to detect breast cancer far earlier than is now possible. Since our inception in 1995, Earlier.org has awarded over $4 million to fund seed grants for this research at prestigious institutions across the United States and around the world. For more information about Earlier.org – Friends For An Earlier Breast Cancer Test ®, visit www.earlier.org.

About Covelli Enterprises – Covelli Enterprises is the largest franchisee of Panera Bread, LLC, with more than 300 bakery-cafés in 7 states. In 2016, Covelli Enterprises donated more than $28 million to non-profit organizations. www.covelli.com